The NFL Roundup: Conference Championships Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

And then there were two. After three weeks of playoff action, the two teams that will square off in Super Bowl LI have finally been decided and while the whole football world is ready to see the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons take the field in two weeks to decide the NFL Champion, every fan is hoping for one thing in particular...that the Super Bowl is far more competitive than the Conference Championships turned  out to be.

Because while it was awesome to see these teams reach the pinnacle of their respective conference, let's be honest...the games were utter blowouts and tough to watch at times, but despite the lack of quality of the Conference Championship games...there were still intriguing storylines to be found as the matchups progressed, so let's take one last look at Championship Sunday as we recap the top stories from the field. 

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The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a meltdown in Foxboro. 
The Pittsburgh Steelers were really the only team that could have possibly put a stop to New England's magical season, but something went horribly wrong in the AFC Championship Game and the Steelers completely fell to pieces mentally after the first quarter. 

The Wide Receiving corps dropped important passes, the defense struggled with the pass rush and tackling and when all was said and done, the normally stout Steelers seemed quite rattled and unprepared to face the New England Patriots and regardless of whatever excuses or rationalizations comes from the team as to why they couldn't win...they simply let this one slip away and they're headed back to Pittsburgh to plan for the next season while Tom Brady and Bill Belichick savor their win before heading off to Houston for their seventh Super Bowl together.

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The Atlanta Falcons were 100% prepared for the Green Bay Packers.
Speaking of preparation, Atlanta did the opposite of Pittsburgh and had their squad ready to play come game time, on both sides of the ball. Everyone expected the Falcons offense to be ready to pick the Packers defense apart and indeed they did just that, catching Green Bay off guard early and often. But their crowning achievement in this game, is the fact that the Atlanta defense was absolutely dominant.

All too often the Falcons defense has been referred to as adequate or soft in some cases, and they've been in shootouts because said defense has been unable to contain a particular offense, but whatever discussions and changes the coaches had and made to this defense paid off in spades, they were able to completely and utterly contain the powerhouse Packers offense and their reward for tightening up the defense, is their first Super Bowl appearance since 1999. 

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